Review – The Tribes by Mari Howes
Synopsis
A dark and daring debut novel exploring power, control and resilience against all odds, The Tribes tells the story of a cult member accused of a shocking crime and the lawyer who chooses to defend her.
One quiet night in a rural Vermont town, a panicked woman calls 9-1-1 on a gas station payphone to report that a newborn baby has died. Local police respond to the call and charge Heather Garner, a college drop-out who’s been a member of fringe religious community The Messiah’s Tribes since the 1990s, with the murder of her infant son. Heather’s future is left in the hands of a family who hasn’t seen or heard from her in almost 20 years.
Abby Harris’s friends and colleagues are puzzled by her choice to take on a child homicide case, but Abby is convinced that there’s more to Heather’s story than meets the eye. Putting her own pregnancy at risk, Abby’s investigations lead her to understand that The Messiah’s Tribes may not be a peaceful, eccentric bunch of hippies, but a well-organized, exploitative criminal enterprise.
Engrossing and suspenseful, the mystery of Heather’s past is revealed piece by terrifying piece, until a jury must decide: Are Heather and her dead child just collateral damage, or is the dead-eyed woman a willing participant in the cult’s sinister agenda?
Please note: This audio contains strong language, distressing situations, and descriptions of abuse and violence that some listeners may find upsetting. Discretion is advised.
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Review
Told from a dual point of view, this novel delves into the world of cults, and it made me realize how easily swayed some people might be in the right situation.
Heather is not surviving college. She has discovered drugs, boys, and could be on the show, Girls Gone Wild. That is until she meets Naomi at a concert and wakes up two days later. That was just the beginning of the end for her, or at least a rough decade or so. Fast forward to semi-present day, and Heather has been arrested for killing her child. But did she? What is the truth? Enter Abby, an attorney hired by her family to help defend Heather and keep her out of prison. It is a bumpy ride as they uncover the truth and work to deprogram Heather.
This book was gut wrenching. I felt horrible for Heather and her children, and for the other women and children in this commune/cult. Women have no rights, and they keep them in line by threatening their children. It is hard to escape that world, and those who do are hunted down and treated horribly by those still involved. Gas lighting to the highest level, and Abby experiences some of that because the cult doesn’t want her to defend Heather.
Everything you ever imagined about cults happens in this book. It is heart breaking to read, and even though I know it is fiction, it would not surprise me if some of this has happened.
I was rooting for Heather, but at times, I wondered if she would ever be able to escape the programming. She was lucky to still have family that cared what happened to her even all those years later.
This book is not for everyone, but I found it engaging and it kept me glued to the pages until the very end.
We give it 5 paws up.
About the Author
Mari Howes is a lawyer, consultant, and graduate of Georgetown University Law Center and the University of Rhode Island. She lives in New England with her family, and is working on her next novel.
